PENDLETON, England, May 5 (UPI) -- Nigel Evans, Britain's senior Conservative member of Parliament, said Sunday two men's accusations of rape and sexual assault were "completely false."
Evans, 55, said in his home village of Pendleton in Lancashire County the complaints are four years old and were made "by two people who are well known to each other and who until yesterday I regarded as friends," The New York Times reported.
Evans has not been charged and after being interrogated most of the day Saturday was released with orders to come back next month for more questioning. Police searched his car and house, the Times reported.
Allegations against Evans relate to two men in their 20s, and pertain to a period from 2009 until a few weeks ago, the Times reported.
Evans became a member of Parliament in 1992. In 2010, when he was elected one of the two deputy speakers in the House of Commons, he publicly stated he was gay. He said his political enemies threatened to use that information against him, the Times reported.
Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said it would be difficult for Evans to keep his post while the allegations are under investigation.
Evans said he didn't understand why the men had come forward, "especially as I have continued to socialize with one as recently as last week."
